Fixing old machines

[old jersey girl]

"American Restoration" a half-hour show on the Vice channel. Just found this, today they restored an antique cash register, a 1950's coffee maker, a 1930's air raid siren, a1930's cig vending machine, 1930's refrigerator, a 1950's fan, a 1960's go-cart, a 1940's little red wagon. If you haven't seen this show, check it out. Something else interesting to watch while we're close to home.

I was interested in the skills needed to clean, fix, and refinish the items. Traditional metalworking, small appliance electrical repair, refinishing/painting. I came from a family that was not hands-on, what little I know I learned on my own.

(I could fix stuff, but sometimes with slightly skewed results. Like the time I borrowed my brother's Boston Whaler and the throttle/shifter was loose so I re-assembled it. It worked fine except somehow reverse gear and full ahead got switched. He found out when, in an attempt to impress the girl on the dock with a fast exit from the slip, he pushed the throttle all the way forward and went backward, hit the piling.)

I was 16 and he was 12, so he couldn't kill me.
Good times.

 

[MuckSavage]

American Restoration used to be in either History or Discovery Channel. I enjoyed watching it, not just because of the skill in the restoration, but they guy new amazing history about the items

 

[bobpbx]

Like the time I borrowed my brother's Boston Whaler and the throttle/shifter was loose so I re-assembled it. It worked fine except somehow reverse gear and full ahead got switched. He found out when, in an attempt to impress the girl on the dock with a fast exit from the slip, he pushed the throttle all the way forward and went backward, hit the piling.) I was 16 and he was 12, so he couldn't kill me. Good times.

Your brother had a boston whaler at 12 years old? A small one?

 

[old jersey girl]

Your brother had a boston whaler at 12 years old? A small one?

Yup. Very small, a 10-foot outboard (measurements approximate; this was a "long, long, LONG" time ago!). Our dad always had boats; my earliest memories include:

1) I'm crawling around his new boat sometime in the 1950's while it was being built at the Troth boatyard (Mays Landing area). Oak lapstrake hull, I liked the smell of the wood. This was the first big boat he had, and the only one locally built. Buddies of his later referred to him as the madman who fished 60 miles offshore in "a plywood boat"

2) my brother and I wanted our own boats. Dad's arrangement was that he'd pay half the cost of what we wanted; we could earn the rest of the cost by working on his boat. This was separate from the regular chores we were supposed to do routinely. I got an Alcort Sailfish, my brother the smallest Whaler.
My younger brother helped fetch and carry for Dad's fishing trips; I sanded in between the multiple coats of marine varnish applied to the teak trim, and cleaned the bilges.

"Get away from the wet varnish" was my father's frequent admonition since my long flyaway hair always floated onto the wet surface.

3) How I learned to get away using cusswords:
The hatch covers on the deck were about 14 inches square and very heavy. One day when Dad and I were working together, he dropped a hatch cover on the edge of my foot. We stood there looking at each other in shock; then he saw my pained expression and said, "Go ahead, say it"
"You dumb son of a bitch."
I think I was 10 or 11 when this happened. It stays with me because of his respect for my right to say it, he knew my getting hurt was his fault.

My father died in 1998 of prostate cancer. I took care of him and he died at home. We still miss him.

Condolences to those of you who have your own recent losses. Maroon song " Memories"
resonates here.

 

[bobpbx]

"Go ahead, say it". "You dumb son of a bitch."
I think I was 10 or 11 when this happened. It stays with me because of his respect for my right to say it, he knew my getting hurt was his fault.My father died in 1998 of prostate cancer. I took care of him and he died at home.

That was funny!

Yes, caring for a loved one through death is something I've done. It brings everything full circle.

I love the smell of wood too.

 

[old jersey girl]

That was funny!

Yes, caring for a loved one through death is something I've done. It brings everything full circle.

I love the smell of wood too.

Song: "Will the Circle be Unbroken?"

 

[Gerania]

There's a lot on YouTube. A couple of years ago my son showed me a few videos of people restoring very old hand tools.